The Met Costume Institute Highlights Sandy Schreier, the Self-Proclaimed ‘Fashion Savior’

Fashion as an art form has long been questioned: Can something so seeped in commerce, so utilitarian be worthy enough to share the same space and recognition as, say, Lucien Freud’s Naked Man, Back View or Pieter Bruegel’s The Harvesters? For Sandy Schreier and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, the answer is unequivocally yes.

The Detroit-born fashion historian, and one of the most prolific collectors of couture, has donated 165 pieces to the fine art institution, 80 of which will be on display at the fall exhibition “In Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection.” From November 27 to May 17, 2020, a half-a-century’s worth of the finest garments crafted by master couturiers will be on view at the Anna Wintour Costume Center. It is curated by Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu, and Jessica Regan.

“Sandy’s incredibly generous gift will strengthen our collection immeasurably through the addition of historically significant pieces of 20th-century fashion,” said Bolton. “Amassed through a deep passion for the art of fashion—as well as sheer determination—Sandy’s gift will introduce rare designs into our holdings, allowing us to tell a more nuanced story of fashion history through the achievements of its most innovative designers.”

The endowment is part of the Met’s 2020 Collections Initiative, an enterprise that has private collectors donating significant works to help enrich the museum’s catalogue in celebration of its 150th anniversary. And Schreier’s extensive collection certainly does that. Gowns by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Gilbert Adrian, and Charles James; outerwear by Georges Lepape for Poiret, Zandra Rhodes, and Maria Monaci Gallenga; accessories by Stephen Jones, and Phillip Treacy, along with illustrations that she accrued throughout the decades will now be under the stewardship of the Met. The gift allows future generations to appreciate the craft and ingenuity that fashion designers have brought to the art world.

“I always saw myself as a fashion savior,” said Schreier in a statement. “My passion for fashion as an art form drove me to search for the most innovative, creative, and breathtaking objects by well-known and lesser-known talents. I am elated that these pieces will now live on as my legacy at The Met, where they can be conserved and shared with the public, designers, and scholars for eternity.”

“In Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection” will be on view from November 27 to May 17, 2020 at the the Metropolitan Museum of Art.